President Vladimir Putin presented a Russian passport to USA actor Steven Seagal in 2016, saying he hoped it would serve as a symbol of how fractious ties between Moscow and Washington were starting to improve.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday that it had appointed the action star as a "special representative" for Russian-American humanitarian relations.

Since then, U.S. -Russia relations have only got worse however with U.S. intelligence agencies accusing Moscow of interfering in Donald Trump's White House run, an allegation Russian Federation denies.

Seagal was seen at the 2018 World Cup in Russian Federation and was also among the guests when Putin was sworn in for a fourth term in May.

Russian Foreign Ministry which made the announcement on Facebook late on Saturday said Seagal will be tasked with furthering "Russian-American relations".

'It's a case of people's diplomacy intersecting with traditional diplomacy, ' the ministry said. "As for global practice, you can draw a parallel with the functions of United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors".

Trump has drawn criticism for his reluctance at times to speak out against Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, particularly on the issue of election interference.

He is also one of the Hollywood stars accused by several women of sexual misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo campaign, which he has denied.

Seagal, who occasionally appears on Russian state TV to talk about his views and career, was cited by Kremlin-backed TV station RT as welcoming the appointment.

According to Seagal's own website, the 66-year-old has been a regular visitor to Russian Federation for over a decade.

The U.S. Intelligence Community had repeatedly stated Russian Federation interfered with the election.

Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan.

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